This inquiry was prompted by the last 4 times I wanted to quote a specific line in Bodhicharyaavatara and struggled to find them with any ease because I had forgotten the lay out and I can't search texts for verbatim phrases without the exact translation I remembered it from because translators use different words and sentences.

Ramon1920 wrote:What's the best time frame for rereading/restudying texts?

This inquiry was prompted by the last 4 times I wanted to quote a specific line in Bodhicharyaavatara and struggled to find them with any ease because I had forgotten the lay out and I can't search texts for verbatim phrases without the exact translation I remembered it from because translators use different words and sentences.

Until each and every word that comes out of our mouths is worth writing down and being studied by others, and every action we make is worthy of study and emulation. Probably not far before full awakening.

My TianTai teacher says that we should pick a sutra that we like and try to read it at least 1000 times.He says at that point the deep teachings of the sutra really start to sink in.His specialty is the Lotus Sutra, he reads/recites a chapter a day, makes it through the entire sutra once a month, gets about 12 full readings each year, and hits the 1000 mark about every 9 years.

PorkChop wrote:My TianTai teacher says that we should pick a sutra that we like and try to read it at least 1000 times.He says at that point the deep teachings of the sutra really start to sink in.His specialty is the Lotus Sutra, he reads/recites a chapter a day, makes it through the entire sutra once a month, gets about 12 full readings each year, and hits the 1000 mark about every 9 years.

porpoise wrote:I've found the ideal time is while on retreat. If not on retreat, then after meditation works well for me. What I'm less clear about is whether it's best to study widely or focus on a narrow area.

Even though my teacher recommends narrow study, given that I'm a convert not raised in a Buddhist culture, my stance has been to study widely until I find an area that I'd like to focus on. This is also pretty consistent with the western education model, as most tend to study general requirement classes before deciding on a major.